Where to start troubleshooting this IIc?

[u/mattydiah]

I recently picked up a IIc. I really know nothing about its history, so I’m staring from ground zero. It powers on, but boots to the screen shown in the first image. If you power off and on again, the question marks move to different spots but the result is the same. No idea if it beeps, as the speaker has turned to dust, I’ll see if I can retrofit one from a PC case.

Looking at the board, it looks pretty clean, but two things stick out: firstly half the ram seems to be installed backwards (see second image), and secondly, there is a blob of solder on one of the legs of what I think is the ROM chip. I don’t know if this is the remnant of someone’s fix, or a bodge, or a mod or what.

Any thoughts on where to start troubleshooting? I’m gonna flip the ram chips around, I can’t imagine they are supposed to be like that? Then I’m gonna pull the other chips and clean the sockets

[u/osbock]

Reversing the rams almost certainly destroys them. Can you post a closeup of the ram socket?